Magic carpet
A magic carpet, also called a flying carpet, is a legendary carpet that can be used to transport humans who are on it instantaneously or quickly to their destination. In literature One of the stories in the One Thousand and One Nights relates how Prince Husain, the eldest son of Sultan of the Indies, travels to Bisnagar (Vijayanagara) in India and buys a magic carpet.Brewers Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, p. 305 1894. This carpet is described as follows: "Whoever sitteth on this carpet and willeth in thought to be taken up and set down upon other site will, in the twinkling of an eye, be borne thither, be that place nearhand or distant many a day's journey and difficult to reach."Burton, Richard The Thousand Nights and a Night" Vol. 13, 1885 The literary traditions of several other cultures also feature magical carpets, in most cases literally flying rather than instantly transporting their passengers from place to place. Solomon's carpetRetold for children by Sulamith Ish-Kishor, ''The carpet of Solomon: A Hebrew legend 1966. was reportedly made of green silk with a golden weft, sixty miles long and sixty miles wide: "when Solomon sat upon the carpet he was caught up by the wind, and sailed through the air so quickly that he breakfasted at Damascus and supped in Media."[http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?letter=S&artid=894#2945 The Jewish Encyclopedia, s.v. Solomon: Solomon's carpet"] The wind followed Solomon's commands, and ensured the carpet would go to the proper destination; when Solomon was proud, for his greatness and many accomplishments, the carpet gave a shake and 40,000 fell to their deaths.The Jewish Encyclopedia, ibid. The carpet was shielded from the sun by a canopy of birds. In Shaikh Muhammad ibn Yahya al-Tadifi al-Hanbali's book of wonders, Qala'id-al-Jawahir ("Necklaces of Gems"), Shaikh Abdul-Qadir Gilani walks on the water of the River Tigris, then an enormous prayer rug (sajjada) appears in the sky above, "as if it were the flying carpet of Solomon [bisat Sulaiman]".Qala'id-al-Jawahir'' book 6 In Russian folk tales, Baba Yaga can supply Ivan the Fool with a flying carpet or some other magical gifts (e.g. a ball that rolls in front of the hero showing him the way, or a towel that can turn into a bridge). Such gifts help the hero to find his way "beyond thrice-nine lands, in the thrice-ten kingdom". Russian painter Viktor Vasnetsov illustrated the tales featuring a flying carpet on two occasions (illustrations above and to the left). In Mark Twain's "Captain Stormfield's Visit to Heaven", magic wishing carpets are used to instantaneously travel throughout Heaven. 's novelette "The Magic, Magic Carpet" was the cover story for the October 1959 issue of Fantastic]] Magic carpets have also been featured in modern literature, movies, and video games, and not always in a classic context. See also * Asterix and the Magic Carpet – illustrated comic story book on the adventures of Asterix, Obelix and Cacofonix in India * Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of the Persian Carpet (Frogwares) (PC) * King Solomon's Carpet – novel * Old Khottabych, Soviet book and later 1956 film with the depiction of Flying Carpet * Steppenwolf – song "Magic Carpet Ride" Notes External links *The secret history of the Flying Carpet Category:Arabian mythology Category:Arab culture Category:Persian mythology Category:Russian folklore Carpet Category:Fictional objects Category:Recurrent elements in fairy tales Category:Iranian folklore Carpet Category:Fictional vehicles Category:Solomon Category:Rugs and carpets Carpet